The present invention relates to a photosensitive resin composition which can be developed by using water. In more particular, it relates to a photosensitive resin composition which has a low hardness, and high resilience and is useful as a material for a photosensitive printing plate, and the like.
Photosensitive resin compositions have hitherto been widely used for photoresist, ink, printing plates, etc. However, many of such photoresist and printing plates require the use of organic solvents at the time of developing. In recent years, however, in addition to the problems of safety and health in process operations, the adverse influence of organic solvents on environment has become a serious problem, so that photosensitive resin composition which can be developed more safely by using water are eagerly desired. To meet such needs, photosensitive resin compositions have been proposed which use as a base material water-soluble polymers, e.g., poly(vinyl alcohol), gelatin and casein.
However, previous water-developable photosensitive resin compositions have a strongly polar hydroxyl group, amide group, or the like, so that photo-cured products resulting from the compositions have a high hardness and a low resilience. Accordingly these compositions are not suited for such uses as, for example, printing on the surface of a flexible packaging material.